Pamela crouched at the edge of her bed, tugging a dark green duffel from underneath the frame. The straps were frayed, the zipper stiff from years of use. She yanked it open and began folding what little she owned—jeans, tank tops, socks, a toiletry bag, and a faded set of mismatched pajamas. The blinds were drawn halfway, letting streaks of gray daylight slash across the tile floor.
"Everything I have here can be replaced with the cash we looted from that woman's apartment," Pamela said calmly, her tone detached.
Barbara leaned against the desk, her arms folded, watching with quiet focus. "We can just buy whatever you need, dear. After all, three hundred thousand stretches really far."
Pamela tugged the zipper closed in one sharp pull and slung the duffel over her shoulder. "I've got everything I need."
For the next forty-five minutes, the two of them worked in silence. Pamela cleared her drawers, shredded old notes, and wiped her laptop before snapping the hard drive in half. Barbara doodled calculations for a new nanite creation on the back of a discarded flyer, glancing up occasionally as Pamela tossed a dying potted plant out the window. When they finally turned to leave, the room felt hollow, stripped of all traces of her.
Pamela twisted the knob and opened the door.
Waiting just outside was Cindy, arms crossed, chin lifted. Beside her stood Dean Leonard Hayes, his bulk squeezed into a Gotham University windbreaker. His jowls sagged heavily over the collar, and his dress shoes squeaked faintly against the dorm hallway tile. His eyes locked onto Pamela with judgment sharpened into a scowl.
"Pamela Isley," Hayes said sternly. "You didn't report to classes, and you were absent from your dorm last night. What's going on, young lady?"
Pamela's green eyes narrowed. "What is the Dean of Gotham University—which has tens of thousands of students—doing personally checking up on me? No staff to abuse today?"
She stepped forward, her voice like a blade. "You let a professor perform experiments on me. He abducted me. Four different times."
Hayes twitched, his cheeks tightening as if he'd swallowed something sour. "Pamela, that's besides the point. Even if that happened, there's a process for this. You're supposed to file a formal claim with Gotham University to be reimbursed. We've… established protocols for those incidents."
Barbara raised an eyebrow, stunned at the casual tone.
Hayes cleared his throat, defensive now. "Ironically, this isn't the first time that's happened. Orientation covered all this. If a student is abducted, they're to follow proper university channels to address the situation." His voice hardened. "Regardless, that doesn't excuse you missing multiple classes and staying off campus without permission. And who is this woman standing next to you?"
Cindy pounced, her words sharp and sweet. "Dean Hayes, that's some random woman Pamela dragged in. Probably just some hussy from the streets. Pamela's clearly been ensnared." Her eyes flicked with disdain over Barbara's clothes. "She's luring Pamela into all kinds of indecency. I only say this because I care."
Hayes's gaze slid back to Pamela, lingering too long on the bare skin of her shoulders, on the flame-red hair tumbling across her back. The hunger in his tone was obvious despite the mask of authority.
"Is this true, Pamela?" he asked, his voice low. "Are you being seduced by this woman? Are you heading down the wrong path—letting yourself be led into crime and corruption? Pamela, I know you're better than that."
Pamela's lips curled in disgust. She took another step closer, her words cold. "What are you looking at me like that for, Leonard?"
Hayes blinked, startled by the use of his first name.
Pamela's glare cut deeper. "Don't be such a pig."
Her hand whipped across his face in a single, deliberate motion. The crack echoed through the hallway like a whip. Hayes stumbled back, one hand clutching his reddened cheek, jowls quivering. His eyes filled with tears of humiliation as he tried to muster outrage.
Cindy gasped loudly, clutching her phone like she meant to record, then froze when Barbara shifted a step forward, her presence enough to stop her cold.
"You… you will regret this…" Hayes stammered, his voice trembling with anger and shame.
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